Chair



Aug. 8, w M W LLEN CHAIR Filed April 28, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l W!!- Lewalen 3W (IX Lamar.

Aug. 8, 1933. w M. EN 1,921,932

CHAIR Filed April 28, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 z n l wlw M wk 7 @i lfl Patented Aug. 8, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE This invention relates to chairs, one of the objects being to provide a chair having a back which is adapted to move rearwardly when pressed against by the occupant of the chair, the

weight of the occupant on the chair seat serving to resist this movement so that it becomes unnecessary to utilize any complicated arrangement of springs, levers, and the like.

Another object is to provide a reclining chair utilizing co-operating friction elements which serve to hold the back in any desired position as long as the seat is supporting the weight of the occupant, it being possible readily to shift the back by relieving the seat of a portion of the weight.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a section through the chair showing the parts in their normal positions.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the back swung rearwardly and the seat raised.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan View.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the seat frame.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the .5 arms of the back frame.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates the chair frame of any suitable size and proportions and provided with a rear cross strip 2. A seat frame 3 is hingedly 49 connected at 4 to the top of the front of frame 1 and carries the usual springs 5 and cushion 6. Extending backwardly from the sides of the frame 3 are arms 7 preferably connected by a cross strip 8 and the lower edge of each of these arms is curved to provide an ogee cam surface 9 the convex portion of which terminates in a shallow, rounded shoulder 19.

Arranged between the sides of frame 1 at the back thereof is the back frame 11 pivotally connected by bolts 12 to the sides of frame 1. The

cushion 13 carried by the back frame is so shaped as to bear practically at all times against the back portion of the cushion 6.

Frame 11 has depending arms 14 to the lower portion of each of which is secured a block 15 constituting a brake shoe. This block has its corners rounded and the bolts 16 which are employed for holding the block to the arms 14 also serve to attach to the block one end of an elongated bracket 1'7. This bracket, which is formed of heavy sheet metal or the like is offset at an intermediate point as shown at 18 and has a terminal ear 19 extending laterally from its free end. A coiled spring 20 connects the ear to the cross strip 2 and serves to hold the lower portions of the arms 14 normally pressed backwardly against the cross-strip 2 with the upper front corner portions of the block or brake shoes 15 engaging the respective shoulders 10. This has been shown clearly in Figure 1.

Stop blocks 21 are secured to the inner surfaces of the sides of frame 1 and are so located as to limit the forward swinging movement of the lower ends of the arms 14. They also constitute supports for the frame 3 when it is in its normal position.

It will be apparent that when a person is seated on the cushion 6 theweight will be transmitted to thearms 7 so that movement of the brake shoes 15 away from the position shown in Figure 1 will be resisted. However, by slightly relieving the cushion 6 and seat frame 3 from the weight of the occupant and pressing backwardly against the cushion 13, the brake shoes 15 will be permitted to slide forwardly and upwardly along the convex edges 9 ofthe arms '7 so as to swing said arms and the seat frame 3 upwardly. The extent of this movement will depend on the extent of the backward swinging movement of the frame 11 and will continue as long as pressure is exerted against the back until the arms 14 come against the stops 21 as shown in Figure 2. At the same time the lifted arms 7 will be gripped between the shoes 15 and the lower cross members of the back frame 11, as clearly shown in Figure 2. Thus strains due to pressure against the back of the chair will be more widely distributed and the pivot 12 will be less likely to break. As long as the weight of the occupant is applied through arms 7 onto the brake shoes 15 the back frame 11 will be maintained in an inclined position without pushing forwardly with undesirable pressure against the back of the occupant.

However, by slightly relieving the brake shoe 1-5 from the pressure of arms '7 or by removing some of the back pressure from the cushion 13, the parts will return automatically to the positions shown in Figure 1.

It will be noted that the lower portion 013,110

cushion 13 is so shaped as to practically close the space between it and the cushion 6 when the back is in any of its positions. Attention is called to the fact that the arms 7 and brake shoes 15 co-operate to hold the movable parts frictionally in any position towhich they may be moved relative to each other as long as the chair is occupied and the back is being pressed rearwardly. The springs 20 act to restore the parts to their normal position as soon as the brake shoes are relieved from excessive weight.

Attention is called to the fact that this chair does not require the use of any buttons or other controlling parts found in 'most reclining chairs, and that its construction is so simple that it will not get out of order and the working parts will last as long as the chair frame.

The chair moves to a reclining position ordinarily when pressed backwardly by the occupant and no matter in what position the back may be supported, there will be no gap between the seat cushion and the back cushion, This is considered an important feature and one which, it is believed, is not present in any other type of reclining chair.

It will be noted that the present structure is such as to be adaptable to different styles of frames or different ways of uphoistering. The arms can be open or completely upholstered, and various other styles of chair can be made and the present improvement still retained.

What is claimed is:

The combination with a chair frame, a seat frame hingedly connected thereto at its front end, stop blocks on the chair frame normally supporting the seat frame, and spaced arms extending rearwardly from the seat frame and having curved lower edges each providing an ogee cam terminating in a rounded shoulder, or" a back frame suspended in the chair frame and mounted to swing about an axis extending transversely through the chair frame adjacent its rear end, arms depending from the back frame and crossing the arms on the seat frame, lifting blocks fixedly secured to the arms on the back frame and constituting supports for the arms on the seat frame, and a spring beneath the seat frame connecting the chair frame to the lower-end of the back frame for holding the lifting blocks nor- -mally pressed rearwardly in engagement w1th the shoulders, said seat frame, when subjected to a load, constituting means for resisting the lifting of the shoulders and the release of the blocks when the upper portion of the back frame is thrust rearwardly against the action of the spring, said supporting blocks cooperating with the arms on the back to provide a stop to limit the backward swinging movement of the back,

and said lifting blocks and the bottom of the back frame cooperating to grip the arms on the seat frame to supplement the stop action of the supporting blocks.

VOR'TH IVE. LEVVALLEN. 

